Who rows a boat from Norfolk, VA to Scotland?

Niall MacDonald! He and his special ocean rowing boat Alba are on the dock here at Cobb’s Marina. He’s preparing to row solo across the North Atlantic for a good cause.

Without engines or sails, MacDonald will attempt to row his 7.2 meter, 200 kg boat over 3,400 nautical miles to raise awareness and raise funds for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). He believes the risks are worth the goal of spreading awareness. “We all know someone who’s had a problem with their mental health,” he says. His goal is to raise $150,000 to help SAHM continue their valuable and important work.

His solo trip will involve rowing for 12 hours each day for over 3 months as well as coping with whatever the North Atlantic Ocean presents him. Following a course of 40-degrees north latitude before he heads north east toward the U.K., he aims to take advantage of the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift. MacDonald thinks he should be back home in Stornaway at the beginning of September 2018.

The original plan had him leaving out out of NY. However with a few failed attempts back in 2012 and 2017 due to bad weather, MacDonald’s third and current attempt has him leaving some time this week out of Cobb’s Marina here in Norfolk, VA. We’re all very excited for Niall, and we’ll be tracking his progress at his website www.NY2SY.co.uk using the “Track My Progress” link.

Help us raise awareness of Niall MacDonald’s awesome journey and his goal to raise funds for SAMH by spreading the word about his NY2SY Solo North Atlantic Row. More details can be found at: www.NY2SY.co.uk.